Page 40 of Love the Way You Lion
Sampson stalks to the cluttered surface against the south wall—its surface a riot of charcoals, erasers, markers, and half-finishedsketches splayed out like broken promises. With a brutal motion he shoves aside a pile of art pencils. They tumble to the floor, but luckily, don’t break. “She’d never leave without warning,” he mutters, staring at the mess as though it alone holds the solution. “She always—” His voice falters. “She’s never disappeared after finishing spellwork; she doesn’t like leaving her tools everywhere for amateurs to pick up.”
A coil of dread tightens in my gut, and my hands clench in fists at my side. I shove past them both, pounding my fist against the desk’s dark wood. “Bloody buggeringhell—how much more am I supposed to take tonight?” The words are a jagged scream. They hang heavy in the air, and for a moment I hate myself for blurting them out and making it all about me.
But almost losing my primary because of her stubbornness and now facing a missing wife is pushing my limits.
Then, as though summoned by sheer will alone, my primary’s voice rings out to bring me back to earth.. “Taurus,” she teases, “I doubt this is your fault, you self-absorbed frill-hound—so pipe down.”
Relief surges through me like wildfire, scorching away the last flickers of panic. Talia is safe and laughing at me. I don’t have to worry about her, thanks to Deli. But the relief tastes bitter, for that’s also why we have one person unaccounted for. It’s a Catch-22, and I’m not a clone who enjoys ambiguity. We have to find her now, or I’m definitely not going to be able to keep myself from going on a Rift-wide rampage.
Sampson’s footsteps echo as he paces back and forth. He’s muttering, and I pause to listen to his ramblings. “No ward, no barrier,” he mutters around clenched teeth. “The house magic is unchanged. That means it’s tapping into mate shit, and I don’t have a clue what to do with that. This isn’t something we’ve done together, and her book of shadows won’t let me read things wehaven’t done. For safety, she said, but this doesn’t feel very fucking safe…”
Talia shoots him a sharp look, full of impatience. “What do you know about her powers that we don’t? Where might she vanish to?” Her voice is level, controlled, but the tension in her shoulders betrays her eagerness for answers. She turns bright eyes on me, searching as though I might conjure a solution from thin air.
Sorry, the witchy woo shit isn’t my forte and the lounger is much more likely to know about it.
I stumble forward, throat tight as my heart thunders like a war drum. I steady myself against the edge of a cabinet block inches from my primary as I look at her earnestly. “Love, I’m grateful you’re healed—but I can’t stay here. The minx could be anywhere—hurt, frightened, caught in some net of wild sorcery. I have to check every hidden corner of this fucking place to find her.”
My goddess props herself on one elbow, the silk of the robe she slipped on flowing like water over her skin. With a single perfect brow arched in that look of hers—equal parts soothing and mocking—she gives me her unstoppable smile. “If you’re as riled as you sound—then go. Find her.”
Thank fuck.
Beneath the teasing lilt was unwavering trust. Her faith in me cuts deeper than any of her blades, and I can’t fathom not having it. I press my lips briefly to hers, swift and fervent. “Thank the gods,” I whisper, voice choked. “I love her too much not to go, but my alliance will always be to you, too.”
Turning to Sampson, I bark, “Stay sharp. I’ll call if I find anything.” Then, without another word, I let the world around me dissolve. The hum of disapperation tugs at my bones—the warp and weft of space and time unraveling and knittingback together in an instant. It’s usually unremarkable to me because I’m used to it, but tonight, I feel every bit.
A heartbeat later, I stand in the familiar foyer of the new home I’m building for my family, drenched in the warm golden glow of fancy lamps. My hand lingers on the carved wooden banister, its smooth surface a comfort beneath trembling fingers. Behind me, the massive front door is still shut, so I know no one has entered our private space. If she came here, for whatever reason, she’ll be in our room—that’s the only place she knows yet.
When I find her, I’m going to request that every entrance, every corridor, and every door get decorated with wards and runes just in case. I stomp up the steps until I reach the door to our bedroom, knowing that this is the place where I’ll find her if she’s here.
“Minx?” I whisper as I sweep my hands in wide arcs, checking behind the furniture and bed. I don’t see her, so I slap the panel to open the bathroom door, not finding her there, either. Opening the closet, I rifle through everything, making sure she’s not curled up amongst the things on the floor, but nothing.
Where the fuck. Is. My. Goddamn. Mate!
Tears burn beneath my lids. I press a hand to my forehead, wincing as if I could palm away the ache. How did I fail her? I replay her ritual in my mind—the precise incantations, the shimmering paths of energy she guided around my primary’s frail shell. I don’t think I could have done anything more to help, nor could Rafe, but I still feel like this is my fault. Her disappearance has to be tied to overtaxing the new powers she’s not totally comfortable with—something I begged her to do.
Yet the world does not pause for my guilt. Somewhere, she might be scared and alone. I can hear the steady rhythm of my primary’s voice at the back of my mind, urging me to stop feeling sorry for myself and find Deli. The colors and emotions flowing through ourmate bond are Talia’s hallmark because she cannot mind speak, but unlike normal, they aren’t helping me calm down. She’s doing what she can; I know. It’s just not enough as the terror sets in.
I catch my reflection in the glass of the mirror on the back of the closet door. My eyes are rimmed red. My hair, typically perfect, is in utter disarray. The silk of my bespoke shirt is rumpled. I’m a mess, and my pride isn’t even rearing up to make me adjust myself. That tells you just how fucking worried I am right now.
Skirting the edge of the room, I pause before the top of the back stairs. I know she hasn’t explored the additions I’m making, so she won’t have gone down to the kitchen or outside of her own volition. But that doesn’t mean she didn’tappearin one of those places, right? She could have zapped to a wrong location… I think?
Taking the steps two at a time, I walk through the kitchen, then I see a faint shimmer out the back door. The yard is in flux as I imagine what I want the space to look like, but there are large flat stones at the edge of the cliffs. That’s where the sparkles are coming from, and it might be where I need to go.
I exhale. If she’s there, why hasn’t she answered and why can’t Sampson or I feel her? I don’t have a clue, but I have to find out. I can’t stand here like a fool and wait.
Summoning strength, I head out towards the rocks with purpose. My heart pounds in my ears, but I’m guided by the fragile thread of hope and terror that is fueling me. I have to know if my minx is okay, and then I can worry about everything else… including the answers to all my questions.
Hopefully, she’ll be able to give them to me.
The Cat Sees Rainbows and Sparkles
DELILAH
My head is swimming. I can’t hold it up.
It feels like my body is whirling inside and I’m trying to figure out what the hell happened. Everything was going fine! The only time I’ve healed someone besides me was that time with Taurus, but he drank and that was much easier. This was different and hell if I’m going to admit that I was making it up as I went along.
“How did I...?”
